Method of packing and wrapping articles



Nov. 3, 1931. J. 5. STOKES 1,830,342

METHOD OF PACKING AND WRAPPING ARTICLES Original Filed Oct. 11, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Q N "p INVENTOR.

A TTORNE Y.

Nov. 3, 193 1.

J. S. STOKES METHOD OF PACKING AND WRAPPING ARTICLES Original Filed Oct. 11, 192"! 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 jmQ Jk/MM ATTORNEY.

Patented Nov. 3, 1931- or packed, and complete joinder or union of so My invention resides in a method of wrap-- UNITED srA TEs j PATENT OFFICE 1! Joint s. sroxns, or non'rmonon vsnmv rmmsimvmm, sssrenon TOSTOKE8 AND SMITH COMPANY, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A. CORPORATION. 01E

rmmsnvam mnonor rAcxme Am) wnarrma ARTICLES Application filed October 11, 1927, Serial No. 225,472. Renewed October 21, 1930.

a container or the component parts thereof,

before, during, or after the forming of the container or assembly of its separate elements on or around an article to be totally enclosed container walls is effected during a wrapping operation.

More particularly, in accordance with my invention, a container or enclosing casing is formed on constructed by assembling a plurality of separate container-formin'gcomponents preferably two complementary structures on or about an article in containerforming position to enclose saidarticle and to the assembled containerthere is applied a wrapper or the like, preferably consisting of a single piece, having thereon an adhesive coating, preferably fluid'in. character.-

Further in accordance with my invention the wrapper is provided with a plurality of reinforcing elements or tabs, suitably disposed and of such shape and size as to efiect oinder ofadjacent, free edges of the walls of the assembled container throughout their length to seal the container or enclosing structure and .to-strengthen or reinforce the sealed container at the lines of'joinder of its walls.

Fiirther and more particularly, in accordance with, my invention the tabs and con tam r are moisture-proof and the coated wrapper is disposed wholly exteriorly of the container permitting the interior thereof to be rendered waterproof, as by lining it with metal foil or coating it with parafiin or the like, withoutloss of adhesion between the wrapper and the container.

My invention resides in a wrapper, made-- of one piece or a plurality of components suitably connected as by adhesive to form a composite wrapper, having disposed thereon reinforcing or tab "strips to strengthenthe pieces of suitable material, as cardboard,

junction of abutting walls constituting edges of a closed container.

strips are cut or notched.

ping and packing an article package or equivalent as hereinafter described and claimed. For an illustration of. some of the varlous modes of practising my invention, reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a container component or element. c

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a ackage disposed on the container element 0 Fig. 1. Fig.3 is a perspective view ofthe package and container element of Fig. 1 in a later I stage of 'rogress.

Fig. 41% a perspective view of the package and container element of Fi 2 and a second Fig. 8 is a perspectlve view of the tabbed wrapper in register with the, assembled or forme d, container.

Figs. 9 to 13 inclusive, represent, respectively, in perspective, the successive stages of the wrapping operation.

Fig. 14 is a perspective view of a wrapper in which the disposition of the tab strips is modified.

Fig. 14a is a further modified tabbed wrapper. I i

Fig. 15 is a perspective view of the tabbed form of a:

wrap er of Fig. 14 at a later stage in which the ta strips are cut or notched. Fig. 16 is a perspective view of the modified tabbed wrapper in register with the assembled or formed container of Fig. 5.

Figs. 17 to 22 inclusive, represent respectively', in perspective of the final wrappin operation.

The container or s ell, in accordancewith my invention, is made preferably. of two score'd or creased across their shorter dimensions, one of which, 1,'is disclosed m Fig.1.

The'length and width of the ,base section 10' the successive stages should equal or closely approximate the cor- V responding dimensions of the article or package A to be packed. Similarly the height and length of the side flap section 16 should equal ,or closely approximate the thlckness and length of thepackage. In the event that the articles to be packed are readily deformable in character, as in the case of bags con-' tainmg cereals, soap powders, etc., the above dimensions of the cardbp ard, container elesections 2b of the second containercomponent 2, Fig. 4, should closely correspond in length/ and width to the upper face andends respectively of the pac age A. The protective shell may be formed or assembled about the package by bringing'one -or more of the-sec tions of either or both of the cardboard pieces into'contact with the corresponding face or faces of the article, package or a llner disposed about the same, and sugcessively, in

' any sequence, or simultaneously, effecting engagement between the package or liner and the remaining sections of the container' to complete thepackingopera-tion. Certain or all of the components may be held temporari- I ly in position by'presslire exerted thereon-as 1 hereinafter more full explained.

' Preferably, the pac ages are mpved manu-v ally, orfby automatic mechanism, individual and in succession, from a magazine 'or 0t er source of supply, and in turn are deposited or positioned on a cardboard piece,

or example, a lower container element 1, which is preferably moved manually or. otherwise froma stack before, or after, registration of'the package therewith.

Duringmovement of the package and container element 1 along a defined path to a wrapping station or atthe wrapping station,-the side flaps 1b are folded into en-- gagement-with the sides of the package and" immediately thereafter or substantially simultaneously therewith, the remaining container element 2 is moved at right angles to tide path of movement of and in superimposed relation to the first element and package with the scores of the respective elements at right angles to each other, the end flaps 2b thereof are folded down to com letelyenclose package A without overlapping of the cardboard" sections. Each article, in turn, is packed in the same manner and preferably, before each reaches the wholly packed stage shown in Fig. 5 one or more other articles have passed through in succession earlier "stages of the packing operationabovg described. l Bymaking the shell in two rectangular pieces as disclosed a minimum amount of cardboard or like 'material'and labor'is required and no wrappers in the stack corner-cutting operation is necessary. Instead of as shown, the conta ner elements may each consist of several pleces held to gether by adhesive coated strips or tabs, or

the unformed container may be a single piece in which corner-cutting is necessary. In each. of these instances, there is likewise no overlappin of the walls of the assembled or forms container.

The wrapper 3 is, preferably, as shown, a single piece of paper or other suitable material which has been previously shaped or cut to a desired configuration or it may be a composite wrapper of the character disclosed in my allowed application Serial No. 89,127, filed February 18, 1926.

As the process is a continuous one, the wrappers 3, tabbed or untabbed, and preferably in'stacks, are moved in succession by hand or by machine, to the point of application to the completed or assembled container or to one or more "of its components. The may be as shown in Fig. 6 or 7 having notched or unnotched tab strips 3a and 3b affixed thereto by adhesive.- t f of the form shown in Fig.6, after removal of the individualwra-pper from the stack-the notches 3c are cut in the tab strip 3a to insure sharply defined, smooth corners of the wrapped container.

P 'or to actual contact between the wrapper and the container, adhesive, asglue, inplastic or liquid state, is applied to containerengaging faces of the wrapper and tabs. Preferably'each wrapper after removal from the stacki's coated with adhesive and immediately after or' during the wrapper coating operation, all or certain of the tab strips 3a,

31) which are preferably coated with unset "adhesive, are applied tothe wrapper.

' The tabs are'of desired width and each is bstantially symmetrically disposed with res ect to the line ofbending of the wrapper a though if the cardboard used in the container is of considerable thickness-to avoid using a tab of increased width, the longitudinal axis of the tab may be laterally displaced with respect to the line of bending. k

The wrappers may be individually removed. from a stack and coated in succession by an adhesive-applying unit of the character described in my copending application aforesaid, or in Nitsch andBaker application No;

. 3,316, filed January 19, 1925, or in Nitsch and Federwitz Letters Patent No. 1,472,614. Before setting of the adhesive as applied to the wrapper and tabs, the notches 3c are out i and the tabbed wrapperibrought into registercomponents at any desired stage of the packmg operation described. Preferably, the

. article with the container elements assembled the coated face of the wrapper 3, the freeends ing contact with ,one or more of the container of the end flap 2b contacting with the middle section of the correspondin tabs 3a to effect and maintain intimate base 1a. 7

Thereupon the side panels 3d of the coated wrapper are folded into engagement with the side walls 1?) of the container shell, the end sections of the tab strip 3a effecting and maintaining intimate joinder of the vertically extending edges of the side and end walls, and the tabs 36 effecting and maintaining intimate engagement of the side walls 1b and the top face 2a.- p I When greater strength is desirable or i join er of flap 2b and necessary, additional tabs may be applied to the end panels 3f as in my Letters Patent N o.

. 1,599,500, with the further addition ifdesired of the container.

, difiiculti'es due to lack of adhesion between or required of tabs extending crosswise of the wrapper blankat the line of joinder of the side and bottom panels, to reinforce all edges Thereafter the corner lap sections 36 are folded into engagement with the end walls 26 (Fig. 10) and the end panels 3f of the wrapper wiped or folded upon the end walls and corner lap sections (Fig. 11) After the turnin sections 3g of the wrapper are brought into engagement with the top 2a of the container (Fig. 12), the wrappingsoperation is com- -pleted by folding the top panel or long flap 3b of the wrapper into contact with the top face of the container and the narrow turn-in section.3g. T Y

The adhesive wrapper. at no point is in contact with the inside surface of the contamer but is disposed wholly exteriorly thereof which permits use of metal foil lining, or a coating of paraffin or other suitable mois-- ture-proof material without experiencing elements of the wrapped container. As the container components are coinplemental in the sense that there is noappreciable space between nor overlapping of the walls of'the formed container, the tabbed wrapper is in contact with the entire exterior surface of the container minimizing thepossibilityof or preventing, among other things, unintentional puncturing or tearing of the applied wrapper. v c r Certain steps of the method described m v be effected by automatic mechanism generally application. After the second container element has been positioned as previously described to complete the packing of the article, the wrapping operation described may be effected by'wrapping apparatus disclosed in Reifsnyder and Schwerdtle Letters Patent No. 1,152,356. I

While preferably, the container consists of two pieces, rectangular in shape and forming three walls or sides as shown, either of cardboard components 1 or 2 may comprise more orless sides and the container completed by later additions held in place by the wrapper. Further, all or'certain of the walls may be applied to the wrapper blank and thereafter the packing and wrapping of the article effected simultaneously.

The-exact position of the tabs on the wrapper and the shape or outline of the wrapper may be changed without departing from the spirit of my invention. For example there is disclosed in Fig. 14, a tabbed wrapper, the tab strips 4a of which are not continuous as the corresponding tab strips 3a of thewrapper previously described and the tab strips 46 are on opposite sides of the same wra per panel. Thetab strips 4a may however econtinuous as in Fig. 14a. Either of the tabbed wrappers may be prepared, and after notching (Fig. 15), applied to the container or its components in any of the modes previously mentioned with respect to wrapper 3.

' The outline or shape of the wrapper 4 and 4' is dissimilar from that of wrapper 3 1n that whereas the latter is provided with a long flap 372. which engages three narrow turn-in sections of a side-panel and the end panels, which are in engagement with the top face of the container, the panel sections of the former areeach provided with two flaps 4k which engage the respective ends of the box and the endflaps of two or more of the other panel sections.

-Preferably, and as illustrated, the article is packed as previously described in connec tion with Figs. 1 to 5, and thereafter is superimposed upon and in registration with the, bottom panel wrapper-section which is d1sposed at the .end of the wrapper blank. The

lower, free end flaps 2b of the cardboard piece 2 engage the corresponding portion of the notched tab strip 4a which effects joinder of the end flaps 2a and the bottom lb'of the as- Sembled container. The side panel 441, the

top panel 4e and the side panel 47, successive-' 3 ly in the order given, are brought into adhesive engagement with the corresponding faces of the assembled container, the free edge of side panel 4f preferably superposed on and overlapping the wrapper turn-in section 4g which may be folded into contact with a side wall 11) during any of the precedingsteps. In any sequence, during or after the folding of the panels into/contact withthe container, the turn-in sections 4b of I each of the panels are sealing the packed article.

ferred modification, the tabs are so positioned on the wrapper blank, that during the the free edges of the the appended claims,

1 transporting to applying the wrappers wrapping operation they efiect the union of several wrapper components; the tabs and container may be of moisture-proof material, and the coated wrapper is disposed entirely exteriorly of the container permitting the use ofmetal-foil or other linings or coatings within 'the container or disposed on the interior surface thereof. 7

When greater strength is desirable or neces; sary, the wrapper may be provided with additional tabs to reinforce the container edges formed by the bending of the elements 1 and 2 as previously explained with respect to my preferred wrapper.

For the purpose of clearness and brevity in the term complemens tary as applied to the individual elements of the container is used in the sense that when the container is formed therefrom there is substantially no space between nor overlapping of adjacent walls.

I VVhat-Iclaimis:

1, The method of packing and wrapping an article which consists, in either sequence,

of shaping container structure about the article as a form, of applying a wrapper to.

the container. structure, and effecting union "of walls of the'shapedcontainer during a wrapping operation to ,Inaintain non-adhesive engagement between the container and the article enclosed thereby. e,

'2. The method of packing and wrapping articles, which comprises transporting wrappers in succession to, a wrapping station, I said station in succession container-forming structures and articles,

to container structures, at the wra pping stationefiecting completion of the union between adjacent, free edges of walls ofthe formed containers, and

walls of each of the containencl'osed article tion. I

..' 3. The methodvof packing and wrapping articles, which comprises transporting wrappers in succession during a wrapping operatainer-forming structures and articles, at the wrapping station and during a wrapping operation, applying the wrappers to the containerstructures as formed on the articles, completing the union between walls of the individual formed containers during a wrapping. operation, and supporting the walls of each container by non-adhesive engagement with the enclosed article.

- 4. The method of packingand wrapping bringing container components I to a wrapping station, Y transporting to said station in succession conassesses least'one of the separate components of a in either sequence,

in non-adhesive engagement with an article and in container-forming position and applying in succession individual wrappers to container structures, and at said station during a wrapping operation, effecting completion of the union between adjacent,

composite container 5. The method ofp'acking and wrapping articles which comprises transporting in succession to a wrapping station individual.

ponents supported in container-forming po-" sition bynon-adhesive engagement with an article. v a

.6. The method .of packing and wrapping articles which comprises transporting in succession to a wrapping station individual tabbed wrappers, each having on one face a fluid adhesive coating, transporting to said station in succession articles and cdntainer components, and at said station, before material setting of the adhesive, applying individbual tabbed wrappers to container components supported in container-forming position by non-adhesive engagement with an article.

7. The method of forming a wrapped container which comprises shaping a container component on or about an article to be packed therein to form opposite walls and the bot-v tom of the container, shaping a second component on or about the article to form the top and other opposite walls of the container, and applying a tabbed wrapper to said components to hold them in non-adhesive engage- I ment with the .article and to reinforce edges of the container disposed indifferent planes.

8. The method of producing a moistureproof container for an article which consists of forming a container of moisture-proof material on or about the article, and effecting the union of engaging walls and sealing of the container-by moisture-proof strips.

9.'The method of producing a wrapped container for an article, which consists of assembling a plurality of separate container components on the article, holding said comfree edges of the formed contalners in succession.

station before material ponents in. engagement with each other without overlap and in non-adhesive engagement with the article, and applying-a wrapper tosubstantially the entire exterior surface of the assembly. v i I 10. The method of packing and wrapping an article which comprisesefiecting non-adhesive engagement between walls of a container and the article, andapplyingca wrapper to the container while supporting con- I tainer walls by the article.

11. The method of packingand wrapping an article which comprises in either sequence the steps of effecting non-adhesive engagement between walls of a container and the article, of efljecting adhesive engagement between walls of the container and a Wrapper, and thereafter, during a wrapping operation completing union of the walls by'the wrapper while supporting them by the article.

12. The method of packing and wrapping an article which comprises effecting non-ad-' hesive engagement between separate comtabs overlying the adjacent free edges thereof.

JOHN s. STOKES.

ponents of a composite container and the article, and eflecting adhesive engagement between a wrapper and said components to 'hold the latter against said article in container-forming position.

13. The method of packing and wrapping an article which comprises holding components of a composite container in non-adhesive engagement with the article in containerforming position, and effecting adhesive engagement between a wrapper and said components to form a wrapped container having walls supported by the article.

"14. The method of packing and wrapping an article which comprises effecting non-adhesive engagement between separate components of a composite container and themticle, and applying a coated wrapper to said components to unite them andto hold them against the article.

. .15. Themethod of packing and wrapping an article which comprises holding components of a composite container in non-adhesive engagement with the article in containerforming position, and applying a coated wrapper to said components to unite them.

16. The method of packin and wrappingan article which comprises e ecting non-adhesive engagement between walls of a container and the article, applying a tabbed wrapper to the container with tabs overlying the junction of the free edges of adjacent container walls, and supporting the container walls of the article during the wrapping operation.

17 The method of packing and wrapping an article which comprises effecting non-adhesive engagement between separate compo nents of a composite container and the article, applying a tabbed wrapper to the container with tabs overlying the junction of separate components thereof, and supporting the contamer walls by the article during the wrapping operation.

18. The method of packing and wrapping an article which comprises eflectin non-adhesive engagement between detac ed components of a composite container and the article with the edges of the components in en.- 

